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Winston Garano #2
The Front
When Patricia Cornwell introduced a quicksilver, cut-to-the-bone style and extraordinary cast of characters in At Risk, the result was electrifying. Now, America's #1 bestselling crime writer returns with an audacious new adventure.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
996 people are currently reading
4538 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Cornwell
194 books19.6k followersPatricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, in 1990 while working as a computer analyst at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. Postmortem, was the first bona fide forensic thriller. It paved the way for an explosion of entertainment featuring in all things forensic across film, television and literature.
Postmortem would go on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize – the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. To date, Cornwell’s books have sold some 100 million copies in thirty-six languages in over 120 countries. She’s authored twenty-nine New York Times bestsellers.
Patricia’s novels center primarily on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta along with her tech-savvy niece Lucy and fellow investigator Pete Marino. Celebrating 25 years, these characters have grown into an international phenomenon, winning Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.
Fox 2000 bought the rights to Kay Scarpetta. Working with producer Liz Friedman, Marvel’s Jessica Jones and fellow Marvel EP and Twilight Saga scribe Melissa Rosenberg to develop the film and find Scarpetta a home on the big screen.
After earning her degree in English from Davidson College in 1979, she began working at the Charlotte Observer.
Cornwell received widespread attention and praise for her series of articles on prostitution and crime in downtown Charlotte. From the Charlotte Observer, Cornwell moved to a job with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia – a post she would later bestow upon the fictional Kay Scarpetta.
When not writing from her Boston home, Patricia tirelessly researches cutting-edge forensic technologies to include in her work. Her interests span outside the literary: Patricia co-founded of the Conservation Scientist Chair at the Harvard University Art Museums. She appears as a forensic consultant on CNN and serves as a member of Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital’s National Council, where she advocates for psychiatric research. She’s helped fund the ICU at Cornell’s Animal Hospital, the scientific study of a Confederate submarine, the archaeological excavation of Jamestown, and a variety of law enforcement charities. Patricia is also committed to
funding scholarships and literacy programs. Her advice to aspiring authors: “Start writing. And don’t take no for an answer.”
Social and Digital Outlets
http://www.patriciacornwell.com
https://www.facebook.com/patricia.cor...
https://twitter.com/1pcornwell
https://instagram.com/1pcornwell/
Other areas of expertise & interests
Forensics | Forensic Technologies | Ballistics | Weapons | Explosives | Pathology & Autopsies | Crime | Historical and Unsolved Criminal Cases | Jack The Ripper | Helicopter Piloting | Suba Diving | Archaeological Excavation Experience |
Postmortem would go on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize – the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. To date, Cornwell’s books have sold some 100 million copies in thirty-six languages in over 120 countries. She’s authored twenty-nine New York Times bestsellers.
Patricia’s novels center primarily on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta along with her tech-savvy niece Lucy and fellow investigator Pete Marino. Celebrating 25 years, these characters have grown into an international phenomenon, winning Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.
Fox 2000 bought the rights to Kay Scarpetta. Working with producer Liz Friedman, Marvel’s Jessica Jones and fellow Marvel EP and Twilight Saga scribe Melissa Rosenberg to develop the film and find Scarpetta a home on the big screen.
After earning her degree in English from Davidson College in 1979, she began working at the Charlotte Observer.
Cornwell received widespread attention and praise for her series of articles on prostitution and crime in downtown Charlotte. From the Charlotte Observer, Cornwell moved to a job with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia – a post she would later bestow upon the fictional Kay Scarpetta.
When not writing from her Boston home, Patricia tirelessly researches cutting-edge forensic technologies to include in her work. Her interests span outside the literary: Patricia co-founded of the Conservation Scientist Chair at the Harvard University Art Museums. She appears as a forensic consultant on CNN and serves as a member of Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital’s National Council, where she advocates for psychiatric research. She’s helped fund the ICU at Cornell’s Animal Hospital, the scientific study of a Confederate submarine, the archaeological excavation of Jamestown, and a variety of law enforcement charities. Patricia is also committed to
funding scholarships and literacy programs. Her advice to aspiring authors: “Start writing. And don’t take no for an answer.”
Social and Digital Outlets
http://www.patriciacornwell.com
https://www.facebook.com/patricia.cor...
https://twitter.com/1pcornwell
https://instagram.com/1pcornwell/
Other areas of expertise & interests
Forensics | Forensic Technologies | Ballistics | Weapons | Explosives | Pathology & Autopsies | Crime | Historical and Unsolved Criminal Cases | Jack The Ripper | Helicopter Piloting | Suba Diving | Archaeological Excavation Experience |
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 889 reviews
May 26, 2009
Told in present tense, this short novel (54k words, but a big font and lots of white space pad it out to look like a £6.99 paperback should do) takes off at speed and never slows down, skimping on everything from description to characterisation (it’s the 2nd in a series) and plot. Losing the well-written tone and atmosphere of the Scarpetta novels, this reads more like the plan for a novel, rather than the finished product. It’s difficult at times to work out what’s going on, the Lamont character wouldn’t be out of place in a pantomime, the fractured writing style doesn’t help at all and neither do the British characters who seem to have stepped out of the past. The ending, coming so quickly after a cobbled together “oh, so that’s what it’s about” conceit, feels like Cornwell had reached her word count and decided to end it straight away. A real waste of time, I’m just glad this was a library book - avoid!
December 9, 2008
This book was horrible as so many of her previous novels have been. I think Cornwell has lost touch with what made us readers want to read her books. I keep coming back to her new books hoping she will regain what I once loved to read her for, but this may be the last attempt for me.
August 8, 2016
Cornwell's sequel to her Winston Garano novella series picks up the pace and gives readers a stronger sense of the man while showing more of the author's abilities. Set a year after the previous story, Garano is again summoned to help Middlesex County DA Monique Lamont in her latest venture. Seeking to reshape her image after the horrific events of a year ago, Lamont dreams up the 'No Neighborhood Left Behind' initiative, where police across jurisdictions in Massachusetts can work together to solve cold cases. Garano is told the test case will be one down in Watertown, where a blind woman was sexually assaulted and murdered in 1962. Lamont offers up a contact for Garano down in Watertown, sending him down there to work. Stump is a take-no-prisoners member of the local police force, with an attitude that could cut diamonds, not hampered when she lost her leg in a motorcycle accident. While Garano begins working the case, he learns from Lamont that there may be another angle of great importance to this case; it could be the first crime committed by the Boston Strangler. Garano has no interest in the fame and political advantage this might have and seeks to piece clues together with a less than cooperative Stump. A YouTube video goes viral that paints the DA in a feminine light, forcing her to revamp her image yet again. When Lamont reveals the Strangler angle to the governor, she adds that she's enlisted the help of Scotland Yard, as the victim was a British national in America for a year. Seeking to garner major headlines, she can see nothing wrong with this media grab, though few around her share the same enthusiasm. The more Garano works with Stump, the more he learns of her connection to Lamont, back when she was a ruthless prosecutor. Events transpired that put things in a whole different light for Garano and he seeks to solve the case to vindicate Stump more than anything. Through hard work and determination, Garano cracks the case wide open, but things take a turn away from the projected theory, which could jeopardise any advantage that Lamont might have thought she'd possess with a closed case. Cornwell invests more time and effort into this piece, which makes it a more cogent and enjoyable story, more in line with her Scarpetta work. Sure to lure the curious reader.
While the Garano novella series may have stumbled out of the block, Cornwell makes up for that with this piece. No only is our protagonist portrayed a more cutthroat manner, butting heads with Lamont at every turn, but we learn a little more about his grandmother, who raised Winston from age seven. A self-declared witch, Garano must steer his grandmother away from her casting of spells and keep her focus on safety as she advances in age. Cornwell also paints DA Lamont into a corner, touching extensively on the brutal rape she suffered in the previous story and building on it, both from the standpoint of image development and her political ambitions. Using the ornery Stump was a brilliant idea and her connection to Lamont solidifies the case more than the actual evidence, which drives the story forward. While the case itself was nothing outstanding, the assembled pieces did provide an 'aha' moment for readers, who could see the delicate nature of a criminal thriller before them. Cornwell does well to draw on her experiences while also differentiating these stories from anything Kay Scarpetta. I am curious to see if Winston Garano will return, as he has been shelved for eight years now. His brief appearance on the written page was well-placed, though he does pale to some of Cornwell's other work.
Kudos, Madam Cornwell for a great novella. You have shown that you can impress, even in a shorter period of time.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
While the Garano novella series may have stumbled out of the block, Cornwell makes up for that with this piece. No only is our protagonist portrayed a more cutthroat manner, butting heads with Lamont at every turn, but we learn a little more about his grandmother, who raised Winston from age seven. A self-declared witch, Garano must steer his grandmother away from her casting of spells and keep her focus on safety as she advances in age. Cornwell also paints DA Lamont into a corner, touching extensively on the brutal rape she suffered in the previous story and building on it, both from the standpoint of image development and her political ambitions. Using the ornery Stump was a brilliant idea and her connection to Lamont solidifies the case more than the actual evidence, which drives the story forward. While the case itself was nothing outstanding, the assembled pieces did provide an 'aha' moment for readers, who could see the delicate nature of a criminal thriller before them. Cornwell does well to draw on her experiences while also differentiating these stories from anything Kay Scarpetta. I am curious to see if Winston Garano will return, as he has been shelved for eight years now. His brief appearance on the written page was well-placed, though he does pale to some of Cornwell's other work.
Kudos, Madam Cornwell for a great novella. You have shown that you can impress, even in a shorter period of time.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
June 30, 2008
This is a light book. In fact, I believe it is something Cornwell wrote between Lunch and dinner one day. She should have watched a movie or made better use of her time! Her early books were great, but these last 5 or 6 are scraping the bottom of the barrel! Her characters are not developed and the plots are so simple that you just think 'who cares'.
March 13, 2012
I did not like this book. I actually stand a bit beside myself as I say that because I love Patricia's previous style of writing. This book seemed too fragmented. I had difficulty finishing such a short title. I think this writing format was too thought out. I read this book with way too many short bouts of "sputtered" reading that usually ended with... "what?", some back pedaling and an occasional "did I miss something?"
Leaving Patricia's Scarpetta novels to come to this "The Front", to me, was like going to McDonald's for their desserts after having eaten steak and shrimp at Salt Grass Steakhouse.
3/10/12 - started
3/12/12 - finished
Leaving Patricia's Scarpetta novels to come to this "The Front", to me, was like going to McDonald's for their desserts after having eaten steak and shrimp at Salt Grass Steakhouse.
3/10/12 - started
3/12/12 - finished
May 30, 2008
I have been a Patricia Cornwell fan from the beginning. But this book is disappointing. It feels like the ending was very rushed and it wasn't very satisfying.
June 7, 2018
I really enjoy the Kay Scarpetta series. This book felt like it was written by a different author. The writing felt juvenile and unfocused. It was very simplistic and many times it felt like events weren't explained. The ending was a big WTF moment, not because it was shocking but because it made no sense. I do not recommend this book at all.
June 11, 2008
A nice enough little romp solving an old crime.
I liked "Geronimo" and I know I liked his grandmother! I would certainly like to read about her again! "Stump" was an admirable character as well but I'm not sure I cared much for the others.
I'm glad I picked this up at the library. I would have been bitterly disappointed had I actually paid for it.
I liked "Geronimo" and I know I liked his grandmother! I would certainly like to read about her again! "Stump" was an admirable character as well but I'm not sure I cared much for the others.
I'm glad I picked this up at the library. I would have been bitterly disappointed had I actually paid for it.
June 2, 2008
Long-time fan of Patricia Cornwell, but this book didn't hold my interest. Finished it since it's so short, but was easily distracted. Just didn't care for the characters.
March 17, 2015
It's so rare that I hate a book, but I finished this simply because it bothers me to leave a book unfinished. This book was all over the place and absolute shit. Would not recommend.
December 22, 2013
This book is beyond bad. The plot is a jumbled mess that never comes together. It includes a decades-old murder, copper thefts, terrorism, bank robberies, a mansion that's being renovated, and the bizarre, not satisfactorily explained theft of a gym bag containing sweaty workout clothes. I kept reading it because I thought that it HAD to make sense at some point. After all, Cornwell's Scarpetta books are well written, even if over time they have become repetitious (someone who works for her will betray her and implicate Marino in a crime, sexual jealousy will endanger her marriage, Lucy will cyber-stalk her in order to protect her and swoop in at the very end to save her). But The Front is...a wreck. The only believable character is the lead, Win Garano, a state police investigator and hottie. The others are poorly drawn, from an inexplicably hostile amputee cop nicknamed "Stump" (no kidding) to an loathsome but beautiful D.A. to an FBI undercover agent who walks the streets of Boston dressed up in...well I won't give it away, but let's just say it's absurd. The inconsistencies are many. Here's an example: at one point, Stump says she's figured out that Win can't read - and he doesn't deny it. Aha! (the reader thinks). An interesting bit of character development. Is he illiterate? Does he have dyslexia? Yet later, we see him reading through thick files without any apparent problem. Another example: Scotland Yard's involvement in the story is incomrehensible (something to do with a Romanian orphan's organization that's actually a front for terrorist fundraising, I think), yet an inspector hops on a plane and hurries across the Atlantic to Boston to arrive at the mansion under renovation just in time for...the most confusing climax I've ever read. If this manuscript hadn't had Cornwell's name on it, it never would have been published.
November 24, 2012
I read the first Garano book "At Risk" and was thoroughly disappointed, but I bought both the books online together, and I did like the character Winston Garano and thought surely she would flesh him out a little more in the second book. Unless you like reading extremely skeletal outlines of what a story will be when it is written, don't bother getting this book.
I am a huge Cornwell/Scarpetta fan. The last several books of the series really weren't very good. And the last one I read was really pretty bad and rather disjointed. This new series is worse. Much worse. As in horrible. It is poorly written, the characters besides Garano and his grandmother are not even likable/interesting. It is seriously like an outline written by a high school student with a good idea but no writing skills at all. If it had not been in a large font and had been edited at all it would have been about 100 pages long.
I cannot repeat enough how truely bad these two books were.
I am a huge Cornwell/Scarpetta fan. The last several books of the series really weren't very good. And the last one I read was really pretty bad and rather disjointed. This new series is worse. Much worse. As in horrible. It is poorly written, the characters besides Garano and his grandmother are not even likable/interesting. It is seriously like an outline written by a high school student with a good idea but no writing skills at all. If it had not been in a large font and had been edited at all it would have been about 100 pages long.
I cannot repeat enough how truely bad these two books were.
September 18, 2014
Una Fiscal ambiciosa comisiona a un investigador de Homicidios para que investigue un asesinato cometido hace mas de 20 años, donde la victima es una británica ciega. No me gusto mucho, tengo a Patricia Cornwell en muy alta estima, entonces siempre espero lo mejor de ella. El libro se concentro en casi todo menos el caso, que si la fiscal, que si una organización llamada El Frente, que si la abuela de fulanito. El libro es corto y siento que resolvieron muy rápido el caso. Sin embargo esta muy bien documentado desde el punto de vista criminalistico.
May 19, 2020
It's ok of a book but i didn't like it as it's not one of the books that catches my attention and keeps me entertained to keep reading.
June 13, 2008
Just after finishing reading this book, I experienced an overwhelming disappointment. I almost gave it 1-star, but because it is Patricia Cornwell, and I am not certain if my mood influenced me, I gave it the benefit of the doubt.
This is not a very long book (just 180 pages,) but I could not work up much liking for the characters. At best, I "sorta" liked Win, and to a lesser extent, Stump, but I did not feel any liking at all for the other characters.**EDIT: I did like the grandmother, but I forgot about her until I read some of the other reviews.***
This puzzles me, as I know Cornwell is a good writer, and I usually like her books. I wasn't all that fond of the Hornet series, but it was well written, and I could feel some empathy for the characters. I remember reading the first book in this series, and although I like the Scarpetta series best, I liked it better than the Hornet series.
I don't know what happened with this novel. I confess that the last part of the book confused me. (Whether that was due to it being 2am is debatable.) I felt like she was wrapping things up by not playing fair with the reader. I felt cheated. I don't have the opportunity to re-read the last part to see if I missed something that would make me feel less manipulated as the book is overdue at the library.
I didn't read anyone else's review before I posted this, so I don't know if anyone else felt the same as I did. If someone else can point out to me where I missed something, I would be willing to re-read this book and possibly edit my review. But as it stands now, color me incredibly disappointed!
This is not a very long book (just 180 pages,) but I could not work up much liking for the characters. At best, I "sorta" liked Win, and to a lesser extent, Stump, but I did not feel any liking at all for the other characters.**EDIT: I did like the grandmother, but I forgot about her until I read some of the other reviews.***
This puzzles me, as I know Cornwell is a good writer, and I usually like her books. I wasn't all that fond of the Hornet series, but it was well written, and I could feel some empathy for the characters. I remember reading the first book in this series, and although I like the Scarpetta series best, I liked it better than the Hornet series.
I don't know what happened with this novel. I confess that the last part of the book confused me. (Whether that was due to it being 2am is debatable.) I felt like she was wrapping things up by not playing fair with the reader. I felt cheated. I don't have the opportunity to re-read the last part to see if I missed something that would make me feel less manipulated as the book is overdue at the library.
I didn't read anyone else's review before I posted this, so I don't know if anyone else felt the same as I did. If someone else can point out to me where I missed something, I would be willing to re-read this book and possibly edit my review. But as it stands now, color me incredibly disappointed!
July 9, 2014
It's been a while since I've read anything from Patricia Cornwell, and, I have to say, this book was somewhat surprising.
For instance, I was halfway through the book and was still trying to discern the plot of the book. The story unfolded slowly, allowing the reader to familiarize him- or herself with the characters, and it was done so smoothly and was so well paced, you found yourself turning the pages quickly to see where everything was headed.
The Front centers around an old, unsolved murder of a young woman. An ambitious D.A., Monique Lamont, has her own agenda when she assigns Win Garano, a state investigator, to the case. What are her reasons for digging up this case? Win is not too thrilled to be pulled into it, especially when he finds that he will be working the case with Stump, a Watertown detective.
A quick read. At the end, though, I was found wanting more. It was well written, I really liked the characters, and I could have kept reading for another 100 or 200 pages.
For instance, I was halfway through the book and was still trying to discern the plot of the book. The story unfolded slowly, allowing the reader to familiarize him- or herself with the characters, and it was done so smoothly and was so well paced, you found yourself turning the pages quickly to see where everything was headed.
The Front centers around an old, unsolved murder of a young woman. An ambitious D.A., Monique Lamont, has her own agenda when she assigns Win Garano, a state investigator, to the case. What are her reasons for digging up this case? Win is not too thrilled to be pulled into it, especially when he finds that he will be working the case with Stump, a Watertown detective.
A quick read. At the end, though, I was found wanting more. It was well written, I really liked the characters, and I could have kept reading for another 100 or 200 pages.
July 27, 2008
Started reading Cornwell for the forensic science before CSI made it cool. The early Kay Scarpetta novels are downright frightening, the closest I get to reading horror. (No Stephen King books or slasher movies for me!) Now Cornwell has started a new series with a cool detective in Boston, which has extra appeal to me. (From USA Today: In The Front, Win Garano is investigating a 45-year-old cold case that could be linked to the infamous Boston Strangler. Or is the investigation merely a ruse to call attention to his boss's latest career-enhancing exploits?) Yes, Win is a stupid name for a detective. And, warning, the Garano books carry on Cornwell's penchant for delving into psychosexual crime. But these two books in the series so far are brisk page-turners at fewer than 200 pages. And I'm a sucker for a taut psychological thriller every so often. I read this one fast, less than two days.
March 16, 2009
At one time, her Kay Scarpetta books were some of the best mystery/thriller fiction around... and then they grew dark & nasty & mean - and I stopped reading them.
Since the "At Risk" series meant a new set of characters and a possible fresh start, I gave both of the books a try this weekend. I'm sad to report that the books read like TV pilot proposals: the sexy ice queen prosecutor with political ambitions who bosses around the good-looking African-American detective hero. The hero has relationships with "broken" women who help him solve cold cases. Politics always interferes with crime-solving... and illicit sex (with a minor, rape, etc.) always manages to appear.
From a more "nuts & bolts" perspective, the books develop too quickly as they're shoehorned into 200 pages in a reduced size format - meaning each one of them is about 1/2 a novel in length.
Patricia Cornwell is a better writer than this... go back to her earlier work instead of bothering with these two books.
Since the "At Risk" series meant a new set of characters and a possible fresh start, I gave both of the books a try this weekend. I'm sad to report that the books read like TV pilot proposals: the sexy ice queen prosecutor with political ambitions who bosses around the good-looking African-American detective hero. The hero has relationships with "broken" women who help him solve cold cases. Politics always interferes with crime-solving... and illicit sex (with a minor, rape, etc.) always manages to appear.
From a more "nuts & bolts" perspective, the books develop too quickly as they're shoehorned into 200 pages in a reduced size format - meaning each one of them is about 1/2 a novel in length.
Patricia Cornwell is a better writer than this... go back to her earlier work instead of bothering with these two books.
August 16, 2011
This novel is a very fast read, especially since a movie for television did both this novel and At Risk. The differences between the novel and the movie for The Front are great. A major difference is the outcome of female detective Stump. I enjoy reading Cornwell, but this novel is not up to par with her other novels, and the characters are not as good. Monique Lamont, the District Attorney, is a despicable character. Lamont's only concern is herself and her future. She will use whatever and whoever to advance her plans. Win Garano seems her male reflection, a little. Win, like Lamont must wear the best clothes and eat and drink the best food, but Win has feelings and a sense of justice. Lamont decides to open an old unsolved case with the assistance of Win and Stump. Lamont looks for a sensational outcome, but the answer is mundane. In the process, Lamont begins an affair with a 16 year-old college student, thief, and blackmailer. The story lacks emotion.
July 13, 2008
What a disappointment. It was lacking substance, grit, passion. It's almost like the author was just going through the motions. And I am a huge fan of Patricia Cornwell but her latest works just don't have the same 'edge' - there's no camparison between these and the Scarpetta series. Characters were very dull and the storyline so-so. I have a strong feeling that this may well be my last PC purchase. What a shame.
August 23, 2013
I swore I gave up on Cornwell and then I forgot, but now I remember. Never again.
December 11, 2019
You cannot convince me that this is the same person who writes the amazing Kay Scarpetta series. I'm appalled.
May 15, 2020
This is what happens when the library is closed. You read random books people gave you. No plot. Unlikeable characters. Wasted time. She used to be a good author. Not sure what happened.
October 3, 2025
Honestly more of like a 3.5. After watching the series and then reading this it’s just crazy to see all the differences. I didn’t wanna give it a 3 since the books were made first not the series but now i’m interested in reading the rest of this series
June 27, 2015
For a crime novel, this novel was remarkably uninteresting. I read a lot of crime and mystery novels, and I was extremely disappointed with The Front.
While the main character, Win, is a good character, I found the other characters to be rather predictable and dull. Stump was a great character, and her relationship with Win is a good one. Lamont, however, is rather one-dimensional, because everyone's opinions of her are told to you while very little is shown. Lamont assigns Win to investigate a cold case, and even the cold case was predictable and easy to solve. The current case that has everyone all mixed up is even more straightforward. I was not in the slightest bit surprised at the "surprise twist", or when Win made any realizations about the case.
Sometimes an easy read is a good thing, and I appreciate a simple book from time to time. What made this book particularly frustrating for me was Cornwell's habit of using incomplete sentences constantly. She shows almost nothing from her characters' point of view, instead relying on brief, jarring sentences of description that could belong to any bystander and seem of little relevance to the characters or the story aside from providing an extremely brief description of the surrounding area. It was even more frustrating to read these sentences when they *were* meant to be relevant to a character. I won't quote the book word for word, but sentences generally looked like this: "Took some Aspirin, had one of the headaches from a lack of sleep or not eating enough." I cannot tell if that was supposed to be an attempt at removing filter words, or if it is just bad writing.
I have not read any of Cornwell's other novels, and I don't think I will in the future. Between her lack of character development, extremely predictable plot, and her incomplete sentences, I cannot say that her writing is something I enjoy.
While the main character, Win, is a good character, I found the other characters to be rather predictable and dull. Stump was a great character, and her relationship with Win is a good one. Lamont, however, is rather one-dimensional, because everyone's opinions of her are told to you while very little is shown. Lamont assigns Win to investigate a cold case, and even the cold case was predictable and easy to solve. The current case that has everyone all mixed up is even more straightforward. I was not in the slightest bit surprised at the "surprise twist", or when Win made any realizations about the case.
Sometimes an easy read is a good thing, and I appreciate a simple book from time to time. What made this book particularly frustrating for me was Cornwell's habit of using incomplete sentences constantly. She shows almost nothing from her characters' point of view, instead relying on brief, jarring sentences of description that could belong to any bystander and seem of little relevance to the characters or the story aside from providing an extremely brief description of the surrounding area. It was even more frustrating to read these sentences when they *were* meant to be relevant to a character. I won't quote the book word for word, but sentences generally looked like this: "Took some Aspirin, had one of the headaches from a lack of sleep or not eating enough." I cannot tell if that was supposed to be an attempt at removing filter words, or if it is just bad writing.
I have not read any of Cornwell's other novels, and I don't think I will in the future. Between her lack of character development, extremely predictable plot, and her incomplete sentences, I cannot say that her writing is something I enjoy.
March 17, 2009
The second of the Win Garano books, The Front is written in the same breathless present tense as ‘At Risk.’ This has the effect of differentiating it from books in the Scarpetta series, which may have been why Ms Cornwell adopted it.
The plot construction is very clever and, as in the first book, Garano digs Monique Lamont out of a hole of her own making. As before, Lamont sets Garano up somewhat and, also as before, he follows her moves and saves her from her own stupidity. In most respects Lamont is far from stupid, though she is uncommonly manipulative and often downright unpleasant. If I were Garano I’d leave her to stew.
A short section of the book is set in the UK, the least convincing part of it. For example, overhearing the thoughts of the UK detective he refers to 'the fall', which he would not do since people here, excepting Americans and Canadians, call this season autumn. More important is whether the people in the UK would have any interest at all in DA Monique Lamont. I think they would not.
The plot construction is very clever and, as in the first book, Garano digs Monique Lamont out of a hole of her own making. As before, Lamont sets Garano up somewhat and, also as before, he follows her moves and saves her from her own stupidity. In most respects Lamont is far from stupid, though she is uncommonly manipulative and often downright unpleasant. If I were Garano I’d leave her to stew.
A short section of the book is set in the UK, the least convincing part of it. For example, overhearing the thoughts of the UK detective he refers to 'the fall', which he would not do since people here, excepting Americans and Canadians, call this season autumn. More important is whether the people in the UK would have any interest at all in DA Monique Lamont. I think they would not.
December 2, 2024
simplemente: no.
no sé si es porque no era momento de leerlo o qué pero me ha hecho entrar un poco en bloqueo lector
no sé si es porque no era momento de leerlo o qué pero me ha hecho entrar un poco en bloqueo lector
June 11, 2017
The Front (Winston Garano Series #2) by Patricia Cornwell was such a disappointment to me. I haven’t read her in a while, but I used to really love her books. I did not read the first book in the series, but I don’t think that impacts on this book.
First let me say that I didn’t read this one, but listened to it last night in bed. I occasionally listen to books at night when I can’t sleep.
Second let me say that it was the most boring book I have ever read. The characters were flat with not much personality. The D. A. in the book was an egotistical snob who would never be tolerated in the real world. The protagonist was mediocre at best. The only character I felt had any depth to her was Stump.
I am so sorry that Ms. Cornwell’s writing has lost the reason I loved to read her books. I doubt I will read any more.
I give it 1 out of 5 stars.
First let me say that I didn’t read this one, but listened to it last night in bed. I occasionally listen to books at night when I can’t sleep.
Second let me say that it was the most boring book I have ever read. The characters were flat with not much personality. The D. A. in the book was an egotistical snob who would never be tolerated in the real world. The protagonist was mediocre at best. The only character I felt had any depth to her was Stump.
I am so sorry that Ms. Cornwell’s writing has lost the reason I loved to read her books. I doubt I will read any more.
I give it 1 out of 5 stars.
January 26, 2021
This was extremely poorly thought out and made zero sense. Maybe it would help if I had read the first one in the series, but I really doubt it. It was truly terrible. I used to read the Scarpetta series years ago but gave up because they got so bad. I haven't touched a Patricia Cornwell in years but happened to come across this one so thought I'd give her another try. Nope!!!
February 13, 2017
It took me about 2.5 days to read this book once I committed. Mind you it took 10 days to get interested. Cornwell is a fav of mine. That being said, this is not on my list of good reads. I couldn't like any of the characters and the ending was anticlimactic. Disappointed.
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